Saturday, May 5, 2007

Good idea. But radical?

The renowned Minnesota clinic is pushing a radical [interesting word choices, Strib] prescription for the ailing system: Pay more to providers who keep people healthiest in the long run. Quit rewarding those who don't.Sounds like...capitalism. Imagine that.

Their goal is to reinvent the way Americans receive and pay for their medical care. Mayo's solution may sound simple -- pay more to the most efficient providers, as measured over time, and less to the worst. But it would mark a major change from the status quo....which appears not to be working.Private medical insurance often follows Medicare's example and pays doctors according to how many procedures they perform, not for keeping patients well. That penalizes the best doctors and rewards the worst, who get paid every time there's a complication, Mayo executives say....sounds like how teachers are paid. For how many years they have taught, vs. the results they are responsible for. But back to our story...Mayo is likely to face skepticism or outright opposition from health insurers, competing hospitals and other powerful interests in proposing change."The interests are very entrenched,"

sounds like the teacher's union in Minnesota, but I digress

... said Ann Robinow, a health-care consultant and founder of Patient Choice, now part of health insurer Medica. "They've got a huge job in front of them."...but it sounds like a great idea.

I would love to visit with you because I am getting more up to speed and more concerned regarding this issue, with three young kids, and would be interested in your perspective. I would not yet consider myself to have done ALL my homework but if you want to have coffee...

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